Tumbleweed Weddings

by Donna Robinson

  He turned to face her and patted his stomach. “Does this look okay?”

  “Well, you can’t go wrong with blue and tan. Where are you going, Dad?”

  He lifted his keys from the hook by the door. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Obviously not.” Cheyenne folded her arms as she leaned against the counter.

  “Well …” A smile crept to his face. “I have a date tonight.”

  Cheyenne’s jaw dropped. “A date? You?”

  “Yes, me.” He dropped his keys and stooped to retrieve them. “Don’t you think a woman could find your old man attractive?” He straightened up with a grunt.

  “It’s not that, Dad.” She rolled her eyes. “What woman could resist you? I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Stunned would be a better word. “Uh, who is she?”

  “Janet Oliver.”

  Cheyenne’s right eyebrow hiked up on its own accord. “Mrs. Oliver? Uh, that’s great, Dad.” I can’t believe it! “She’s … a nice lady.” My dad is dating Janet Oliver!

  He just grinned. Jiggling the keys in his hand, he turned toward the door. “Guess I’ll be off.”

  “Wait! How did this come about? When did you ask her out?”

  He turned back. “Janet dropped by last night when you were at Tonya’s party. She played the piano, which she said is badly out of tune, and then we had a good talk.” Leaning against the door, he sighed. “I don’t know if you remember this, but your mom and Janet were the best of friends when she lived in Fort Lob.”

  Cheyenne thought back. “I do have a distinct memory of her being here when I was little. We were eating lunch, and Mrs. Oliver and Mom were talking about me starting kindergarten soon.”

  He nodded. “After you started school, Janet came over for lunch almost every day, or your mom would go to her house. Sometimes they went shopping.” His eyebrows pulled into a frown. “A couple years later when your mom got sick, Janet sat with her and read the Bible, especially toward the end. When Lynn died, she really grieved.” He shook his head. “She was really good to Lynn, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

  With his gaze on the floor, Dad seemed to have forgotten that Cheyenne was standing there.

  She cleared her throat. “So you’re just taking Janet out as an old friend? I mean—this is just a friendship date, right? Not a serious looking-for-a-spouse date?” She bit her lip, hoping she hadn’t overstepped some imaginary boundary.

  Dad cocked his head. “It might turn into something serious. I need to find God’s will for my future just as you do for yours.”

  “I know, Dad.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Well … whatever happens, I hope you and Janet have a good time tonight.”

  He smiled. “Thanks. We will.” Turning, he pulled open the door and walked out.

  Cheyenne watched as he got in the car and drove away. She looked down at Marshal, who was resting in his doggybed. “Do you think Janet will end up as my stepmother?” She took a deep breath. “That would be so weird.”

  On the other hand, maybe Janet could spice up Dad’s wardrobe. At least she’d never let him wear a pink-flowered tie with his brown plaid suit coat.

  Hmm … Janet and Dad. “That might be good. Dad won’t be alone after I get married.”

  Her goal was to marry Rex by the end of the year—a December wedding, or January at the latest. That would leave a year and a half to have a baby before her thirtieth birthday.

  And Grandmother’s millions would be hers.

  She sank into a chair at the kitchen table. “I feel so … greedy!”

  Marshal cocked his head at her.

  “Do I really want to get married just to get that money? I could be miserable my whole life!” Folding her arms on the table, she laid her head down with a sigh.

  In the quiet, she heard her cell phone ring in the bedroom. Walking back, she picked it up and looked at the ID. Rex.

  She opened her phone, anticipating his deep voice. She hadn’t seen Rex since Thursday evening when he waited for her to lock up the post office and took her to supper at the Cattlemen’s Diner. That date was becoming a common occurrence in their relationship.

  “Hi, Rex!”

  “Howdy, darlin’. How’ve you been?”

  “Great! How is the ranch coming along?”

  “Well now, I just about have everything squared away. Got the ol’ bunk-house cleaned out and have three hired hands livin’ there. One of ’em is a really good wrangler, but I don’t have no horses.” He stopped to chuckle. “My hundred head of cattle seem content with their new place. Had to get the plumbing fixed in the house, but the pipes are in good shape now.” He took a deep breath. “Anyways, I feel like I can finally breathe.”

  She smiled. “That’s good.” She never noticed before how much he sounded like a country bumpkin.

  “Yeah. I’ll probably be tied up here all next week workin’ the ranch, but ya wanna go out on Friday? It’ll be kinda like a celebration.”

  “Not on Friday, Rex. I’ll be at Yellowstone next weekend.”

  “Oh yeah. Forgot about that.” He paused. “How about Thursday then? We can make a night of it in Lusk with a dinner and movie.”

  Yes! Somewhere besides the Cattlemen’s Diner. “I like that idea. There’s a restaurant in Lusk called Mama’s Kitchen. They serve Italian food, and it’s really good.”

  “Okay, we’ll go there. How about I pick you up at the post office at five on Thursday?”

  She smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. And I’ll see you tomorrow morning in church, right?”

  “Yep, church tomorrow morning.” He paused. “Night, darlin’.”

  “Good-bye, Rex.”

  With a sigh, she closed the phone. Darlin’. At least Rex liked her, and he was taking things slow, not rushing into an intimate relationship. But it still bothered her that they had no chemistry.

  Her thoughts shot back to Tonya’s birthday party last night. Melissa’s announcement hit her so hard. She suddenly realized how much she wanted to have a baby.

  Whether she got the four million or not.

  Cheyenne stopped at the front door and turned to Rex with a smile. “Thanks for the great time. I really enjoyed that movie.”

  “Me, too.” The reflection from the porch light pricked his eyes, and his face wrinkled up with his smile. “But I enjoyed going out with a pretty lady more.”

  Before Cheyenne could reply, he cupped her face in his calloused hands. His lips met hers in a kiss that lasted for a few seconds. He lifted his head then kissed her again.

  He stepped back. “Night, darlin’.” He winked.

  “Bye.” Cheyenne waited as he walked off the porch. He got in his truck and started it in a cloud of fumes, then waved to her. She waved back.

  This is not good. Not only was there no passion, but she didn’t even enjoy his kisses.

  Cheyenne blew out a breath. What could she do?

  She only had two choices—give up the inheritance or try to fall in love with Rex Pierson.

  Chapter 14

  Behind the wheel in his pickup, Derek was thankful when the orphanage in Casper came into view. It was Friday, August 7, the weekend for the Yellowstone National Park outing. Early this morning, he met Cheyenne and Kandi at the church in Fort Lob and gave them a ride to Casper. Kandi had scampered up into the truck cab first, beating out Cheyenne, whom Derek wished was sitting beside him. As usual Kandi didn’t say much, so Derek and Cheyenne ended up carrying on the conversation around her.

  “Here we are, ladies.” In the orphanage driveway, he pulled up behind two fifteen-passenger vans, threw the gears in PARK, and turned off the engine.

  Cheyenne gazed up at the huge house. “Wow, it’s a mansion. The columns in the front make it look so stately.”

  Derek leaned forward to look at her across Kandi. “You’ve never visited the children’s home before, Cheyenne?”

  “No. I’ve never even heard of it.” Her blue eyes met his. “And it’s been here for thir
ty years?”

  “Yep. Started by Frank and Grace Lindley. I usually come once a month and do some activities with the children as a volunteer.”

  “Oh, I’d love to do that.” Cheyenne smiled. “Let me know the next time you come.”

  He grinned. “I will.”

  Kandi sat silently during this exchange, turning her head to look at each speaker as if she was at a ping-pong match.

  Derek glanced out the windshield. “Here comes Mr. Lindley.” He opened the door and exited the truck, looking forward to the day at Yellowstone.

  Cheyenne watched a tall, bearded man descend the porch steps. He held a piece of paper in one hand and was dressed in a short-sleeved gray shirt and dark slacks. Cheyenne opened the passenger door and climbed out of the cab. Kandi followed her. They joined Derek in front of the truck.

  Mr. Lindley stretched out his right hand. “Derek! Good to see you again.”

  Derek shook his hand. “Hi, Mr. Lindley.” He turned and motioned to the girls. “This is Kandi MacKinnon and Cheyenne Wilkins.”

  “Thanks for volunteering to go with us.” Mr. Lindley’s handshake was firm as he took Cheyenne’s hand, and his dark eyes twinkled when he smiled. He reminded her of Professor Bhaer in Little Women.

  She returned his smile. “This trip sounds fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Um, me, too.” Kandi nodded.

  “Good, good.” Mr. Lindley took a pair of reading glasses from his shirt pocket and looked at his paper. “You will each be in charge of two children. Let’s see. Kandi, you will have two girls.” He glanced at her over his glasses. “Madeline is eight years old, and Rayna is six. They’re good children. I’m sure you’ll have no problem with them.”

  Kandi just nodded.

  He looked back at the paper. “Cheyenne, you’ll be in charge of two boys.”

  “Boys?”

  Mr. Lindley shrugged. “We have more boys than girls, and we have a lot of women volunteers.” He looked down. “These two are both five years old. Arthur and Noah.”

  Cheyenne frowned. “Will I share the same cabin with them overnight?”

  The director looked at her over his glasses. “If you were the boys’ mother or housemother you could, but since you’re not …” His over-the-rim gaze switched to Derek. “I’ll have them stay overnight with you, Derek. You’ll also be in charge of Nathan and Joshua.”

  “Nathan, huh?” Derek pursed his lips.

  Mr. Lindley placed a fatherly hand on Derek’s shoulder. “You can handle him. Besides, Nathan likes you, whether he shows it or not.”

  Another car pulled into the driveway, and Mr. Lindley waved at them. “More of my volunteers. We’ll leave for Yellowstone in about fifteen minutes.” He walked to the other car.

  Placing his hands on his hips, Derek looked at Cheyenne. “I guess I’ll end up with four boys.”

  “Only at night. I want to watch my two during the day.”

  Kandi sidled up to Derek. “We can all hang out together, can’t we?”

  “Yeah, we can do that.” He walked to the back of his truck.

  Cheyenne glanced at Kandi, who looked lonely standing by herself. Suddenly she felt sorry for the girl. “Don’t worry, Kandi.” She smiled at her. “We’ll all stick together and have a good time this weekend.”

  “Okay.” Kandi smiled back, and that smile transformed her entire countenance.

  She really is a pretty girl. No wonder Derek was taken with her.

  That afternoon, Cheyenne breathed in the warm air as a “covered wagon” bumped along the uneven ground toward the Rosey cookout near Tower Falls. She sat on a padded bench seat between Arthur and Noah. The orphans, as Mr. Lindley unabashedly called them, filled the long yellow wagon. A cowboy named Mitch held the reins of the two horses, and the wagon had canvas awnings tied up against the roof. The murmur of conversation surrounded them.

  “When are we gonna eat?”

  Looking down to her right, Cheyenne met the blue eyes of Arthur. “When we get to the cookout, we’ll eat. I hear they’re serving steak. That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah. I’m hungry. Can we have seconds, too?”

  She raised her eyebrows. Arthur didn’t fit her perception of a poor orphan. Although he was taller than most five-year-olds, he probably weighed fifteen pounds more, with a roly-poly body and chunky arms and legs. A thatch of blond hair topped his chubby face.

  Cheyenne cleared her throat. “Are you sure you need a second helping?” She lowered her voice. “Did you know that I’m on a diet, Arthur? I want to lose a few more pounds. At the cookout, I’m only going to eat what’s on my plate. Maybe you should do that, too.”

  “But why?” His light-blond eyebrows formed a V in the middle of his forehead. “Just ’cause I’m fat? I’m not worried about being fat. ‘Big is beautiful.’ My mom always used to say that. She was a fat person, too.”

  “Was she?” Cheyenne tried to hide her smile.

  Arthur frowned. “What does it mean, Miss Anne?”

  “My name is Cheyenne, not Miss Anne.”

  “But what does ‘big is beautiful’ mean?”

  “Well …” Cheyenne thought a moment. “Maybe your mom was trying to accept herself the way she was instead of trying to change.”

  “I like myself just the way I am.” He grinned. “Big is beautiful, right?”

  “Right!” With a laugh, Cheyenne put up her hand. “Give me five!”

  Arthur smiled as he slapped her hand.

  She glanced down to her left at her other little charge. Noah’s small brown head bent over two round magnets. He concentrated on keeping as little space between them as possible before they snapped together.

  Amid the hum of conversation in the wagon, she heard Derek’s voice way in the back. “Hey, everyone! Bison on the left!”

  The heads of counselors and children turned that direction. A hundred yards away, five humpbacked shaggy animals ate grass like cows.

  “Wow! They’re big!” Arthur leaned against Cheyenne. “What are they?”

  She glanced down at him. “Bison. Some people call them buffalo.”

  “Oh.” Arthur nodded. “I know what a buffalo is.”

  Derek’s strong voice reached over the wagon. “A herd of deer! Over on the right!”

  Everyone’s head turned that way.

  “Look at that.” Cheyenne pointed to the three deer that were leaping away from the wagon. “Don’t they run fast?”

  Arthur nodded. “They’re cool.”

  “More bison!” Derek’s voice again.

  With a grin, Cheyenne turned around and raised her voice. “Are you the self-appointed tour guide, Derek?”

  From the back bench he gave her a thumbs-up. “Hey, I’ve been to Yellowstone before.”

  Cheyenne turned to the front, wishing she hadn’t looked back. Derek’s two boys sat on his left, and on his right Kandi MacKinnon stuck to his side. She seemed to be paying more attention to him than she was to the two little girls who sat beside her.

  A sigh slipped between Cheyenne’s lips. She thought of her date with Rex last night, and his good-night kisses. If that man had been Derek …

  Lord, help me to accept my circumstances as they are. She would learn a lesson from Arthur’s mom.

  Noah lifted his brown eyes to meet Cheyenne’s blue ones. “Are we almost there?”

  “I’m not sure.” Taking his small hand in hers, she gave it a quick squeeze. Noah hadn’t said more than a few words, and she wondered if he had lost his parents recently. “But we’ll be at the Rosey cookout soon enough. Then we can eat.”

  Arthur leaned against her. “I really am hungry.”

  “You told me.” She smiled at him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Hey!” Arthur jumped up. “I think I see the cookout place. We’re almost there, Miss Anne.”

  “It’s Cheyenne.” She looked ahead. Between the trees, she spotted several long picnic tables. “Yep. Looks like we’v
e arrived.”

  She smiled, determined to forget about her relationship woes this weekend. She would “mother” these two sweet boys God had placed in her care.

  It was dark that evening when Cheyenne unlocked the Lake Lodge cabin and opened the door. “Okay girls, here we are.” She flipped the switch inside, and the overhead light came on.

  Stepping over the threshold, she glanced around as she set down her duffel bag. The small room was furnished with a double bed and a table with two chairs. Through the thin wall on the left, she could hear the exclamations of their neighbors—another group of girls.

  Kandi walked inside and frowned. “How … primitive.” Her two charges, Rayna and Madeline, dropped their sleeping bags on the floor.

  Rayna smiled, showing the gap in her teeth. “Cool.”

  “Yeah. I like it.” Madeline’s ponytail bobbed as she nodded her head.

  “That’s good.” Cheyenne walked to a small window. “The room is clean, but it’s a little stuffy in here. Let’s open the window.” After a couple of tugs, she succeeded in sliding it open. A cool evening breeze brushed past her. “Ah! That feels good.” She turned back to the room.

  The little girls knelt on the wooden floor to spread open their sleeping bags, but Kandi still stood by the door. Her hand rested on the handle of her suitcase, and a frown rested on her face.

  Cheyenne took a deep breath. She would get stuck sharing a room with Kandi MacKinnon—with a double bed of all things! Lord, help me to have a good attitude. She smiled at the two girls on the floor. “You girls have the right idea. We might as well call it a night and get ready for bed.”

  With a sigh, Kandi rolled her suitcase to the double bed and opened a narrow door in the wall. “At least we have a bathroom. I hope the shower has plenty of hot water. I feel grimy after being outdoors all day.”

  “Um … Kandi, why don’t you let the girls use the bathroom first? Then they can get to sleep.”

  Kandi plunked down on the bed. “Okay.”

  Cheyenne raised her eyebrows. “Uh … are you going to help them?” She didn’t mind helping the girls, but they were supposed to be in Kandi’s charge, not hers.